Johnny Drille Says He Rejected Pressure to Change His Sound Before Joining Mavin Records
Johnny Drille has revealed that major record labels once pressured him to change his musical style.
He said only Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records embraced his originality and signed him without conditions.
Nigerian singer John Ighodaro, popularly known as Johnny Drille, has revealed that he faced pressure from top record labels to alter his musical style before signing with Mavin Records.
Speaking on the CreativTea podcast, the Wait For Me crooner said two major labels who wanted to sign him insisted that he switch to a more commercial sound, but he refused because he wanted to stay true to his art.
“There were two other major labels in Nigeria that wanted to sign me, but the conversation was always around, ‘How do we change your sound? How do we make it faster? How do we make it danceable?’” he said.
Johnny Drille explained that unlike the others, Mavin Records founder Don Jazzy believed in his originality and took a big risk by signing him.
“People could never have imagined that a Mavin Records under Don Jazzy would sign an alternative artist like myself. It was weird for a lot of people. However, when I met Don Jazzy, there were no conversations like that. He was just really a fan of the music… that was a big risk to take, but he pulled it off,” he said.
